


The Monster of the Moat

by shadowolfhunter



Category: Grimm (TV)
Genre: Erik discovers that riling his half-zauberbiest half-brother is a very unwise thing to do, Fluff, M/M, Sean indulges Nick (because he was kidnapped by Sean's very stupid brother), Sean the (actual) moat monster, alcohol makes you do really stupid things, even stupider Reapers, so does Halloween, stupid hundjagers, the fluffiest fluff that ever fluffed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-06
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2019-01-30 07:47:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12649239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowolfhunter/pseuds/shadowolfhunter
Summary: Erik (so very not dead) kidnaps Nick, and spirits him away to his moated castle. Sean goes after him, because let's face it, he has a major thing about working with Nick and the family fears Nick and Sean because they are stronger together.Sebastien (also very not dead - because reasons) helps Sean break into the castle.It's possible the moat hasn't been dragged or drained in quite some time (because Erik never seemed like the kind of guy who would care much about castle maintenance).





	1. A Wetsuit in Vermillion

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Corvus_Aconitum](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corvus_Aconitum/gifts).



> Okay, it is entirely possible that I had an attack of the giggles while dreaming this one up. For inspiration I looked at North Sea Hijack (I just wanted Sean to say "a wetsuit in Vermillion), the Anthony Hope novels The Prisoner of Zenda and Rupert of Hentzau (because Erik was a totally moustache twirling villain if ever there was one) and I am the kind of romantic that belongs to the golden age of improbable romantic stories featuring Ruritania (not a real place) and I also needed Sebastien and Meisner not to be dead.... and Erik only to be un-dead so that Sean can go all biest-y on his skinny ass.
> 
> At present it is at least three chapters.

“A wetsuit in Vermillion!” Sean’s tone was terse, and he glared at Sebastien. “Really? How do you propose I sneak up on the castle shining like a beacon?”

Sebastien could sympathise, but at short notice, this was literally the best he could do. It was not as though there were multiple entrances to the castle. Erik’s extreme paranoia had gotten worse over the years, and since he had realised that Sean would do absolutely anything for his Grimm, Erik had taken Nick where he thought that Sean would never get to him.

He had taken Nick. Sebastien was still trying to process the lengths and depths that Sean Renard would go to in pursuit of protecting his Grimm.

Sebastien had known Sean a very long time, since the half-zauberbiest was a child. As the son of a castle servant, he had seen a lot of what had happened to Sean because of his half-brother’s hatred and the Queen’s jealousy. None of it had been good. Sebastien knew that Sean’s chilly, aloof exterior hid a warm heart, that the zauberbiest had been forced to wrap in layer after layer of icy detachment year after year.

Sean had arrived in Austria that morning, with a blutbad, a fuchsbau and several other people in tow, and it was at that point that Sebastien truly realised what the Grimm meant to Sean. And it was a complete surprise. He had never thought that Sean would let go enough to fall in love.

Seeing it was a revelation.

Finding where Erik had gone, not a problem for Sebastien; getting Sean and his friends… or were they Nick’s friends, because Sebastien wasn’t detecting much interaction between Sean and the others except on a superficial level, and perhaps it was only Sebastien, having known Sean for almost forty years could see that the zauberbiest’s shields were blown wide open.

That Sean Renard, the most cool-under-fire man that Sebastien had ever known, was an ace away from complete panic.

“I am sorry, sir” he began, as the fuchsbau stepped forward.

 

Rosalee had to admit that she had something of an inside track on Sean Renard, he was Laufer, she was Laufer, admittedly from somewhat different perspectives, Sean did crave power, but in the way he longed to take down the King (probably quite personal) and institute something more modern than the ancient families vying for power, Rosalee just wanted something different for everybody. One Wesen, One Vote, kind of deal.

Until Erik had somehow manage to take down Nicholas Burkhardt and spirit him out of the country and back to this creepy medieval castle, Rosalee had thought it was just a fight between two brothers who hated each other. Now she realised that whatever Nick, or any of them had thought about Sean Renard’s emotions, or lack thereof, the truth was that the zauberbiest was in love with Nick. The only possible explanation for Renard’s near meltdown right now.

“Sean.” She rested her hand on a very tense forearm. “Sebastien is trying his best, none of us knew Erik would take Nick here.”

The big man looked up at the castle, eyes filled with fear. “It’s what he’s doing to Nick right now.” He whispered.

She knew she was right. Sean Renard loved Nick Burkhardt. Apparently with everything he had. He was prepared to risk his life, risk everything he had, to save Nick’s life and liberty.

Sean was staring at the moat, green eyes hard and filled with fear and anger, they needed a plan, they didn’t really have one, and there was one way in, other than the front door. A way that required one to swim the moat, freezing cold and miserable at any time of year, but it was the end of October.

It really didn’t matter how strong a swimmer Renard was or how physically strong, he needed a wetsuit to do it. Apparently the only wetsuit available for a powerfully built man his size was a bright red colour.

They were as close as they could get to the castle without being seen. They would have to wait for dark, wait for the Laufer group to get into place and stage a diversion, while Sean would swim the moat, get inside and find and free Nick.

In the meantime, Rosalee was going to do her best to calm things down, while Monroe, Hank and Wu prepared the getaway.

Sean was actually shivering beneath her fingers, and she knew he was scared for what Erik might be doing to Nick while they were forced to wait for the cover of night, but he turned to Sebastien.

“I’m sorry old friend.”

Sebastien nodded, acknowledging Sean’s apology, still surprised at the depth of Sean’s feelings for the Grimm.

 

Nick Burkhardt had to wonder exactly what Erik Renard was trying to play at. He had to admit he thought he would have been destined for the dungeons, but here he was, high up in the building, in a luxuriously appointed room, with its own four-poster bed and everything. Nick could even imagine himself as the Princess in this situation, except for the manacle around his ankle which was chained to the bed. He could reach the bathroom, and the wardrobe, but the door was just out of reach and even if he could get to it, the chain and the weight of the bed meant that he wasn’t actually going anywhere.

Which sucked.

He wanted out of here, he wanted to go home, but most importantly he wanted to go all Grimm of The Fairytales on Erik’s skinny Royal ass. Any hundjagers in the way would be a bonus, and if on his way home he could pay a visit to Reaper headquarters and lay waste to them so that they never got up again… well he would return home a very happy Grimm.

Nick didn’t like killing things. But Erik, the hundjagers and those idiots the reapers…. They were a special case.

If in the back of his mind, he was thinking of an entirely different Renard, one tall, dark, handsome and powerful, part Royal, part ‘biest… well that was for him to know and no one else to find out.

He still didn’t quite get how Erik could be alive when Sean had ordered him dead for daring to interfere with Nick the first time.

Something told him that he would need to tread very carefully, because clearly someone in the Laufer or maybe even in the Wesen Council was not on the side of the angels.

 

Erik Renard poured himself a glass of celebratory champagne and warmed himself by the fire. All hallows eve. He shivered for a second, then reminded himself that the Grimm was captured and would soon be his, his half-brother was caught flat-footed and without back up, and Erik had a nice little surprise waiting for when the old man wouldn’t suspect him, after all, zauberbiester could easily be killed, they led such perilous lives and a Police Captain even more so, and a little bird had told him that if Sean died he would stay dead, he could not be brought back to life again.

Perfect.

Erik smiled. Then frowned when a shiver went up his spine again. Really, he had to get over this superstitious nonsense about the monster of the moat, and all hallows eve. No such thing. There wasn’t.


	2. The Monster!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Erik's castle is infested with poor maintenance and Sean truly becomes a monster....

Sean slid silently into the black, black waters of the moat, pushing off, he began to swim for the castle walls. Swimming was something of a misnomer, it was more pushing his way through the weeds and abandoned leaf stuff that was clogging the moat.

Sean frowned, clearly Erik didn’t care much about maintaining the castle, because this was a travesty. It was also quite difficult to manoeuvre, which rather played into Erik’s hands, but since it was highly unlikely that Erik would ever have conceived of his half-brother swimming the moat like something straight out of a high Victorian romance novel, just to rescue Nicholas Burkhardt, it might even play to Sean’s material advantage.

Right now he wasn’t exactly sure how, but he would take any advantage he could get.

A window opened on the first floor, and Sean ducked, chancing the quickest of glances, he saw that it wasn’t Erik, but still ducked down. Cautiously he made his way forward, the state of the moat was actually an advantage, any ripples quickly dying in the mucky surface.

The way into the castle was possibly the most unpleasant, but incredibly unlikely route.

Its very unlikeliness being, Sean was hoping, entirely to his advantage.

Like the moat, the food waste chute was medieval, and not recently cleaned. The smell made Sean’s nostrils flare and his eyes water (ever so slightly), crawling through the muck and sludge up the slightly sloping tunnel was hard work, especially as he barely fit, so was forced to wriggle along on his belly, barely able to keep his mouth and nose clear of the slime.

The really difficult part would be the vertical part of the chute which lead directly to the kitchens. Given Erik’s propensity for having everything done for him, unlike his more capable, practical half-brother, the kitchens were the one place in the castle that Sean was certain Erik was never going to be.

Somewhere in the distance, Sean could hear the muffled bangs that signalled the arrival of the main diversion, hopefully keeping the hundjagers and Erik occupied far away from the kitchen.

 

Erik ordered himself and the Grimm a fine dinner. Ply him with all manner of treats and win him over with the sheer magnificence of what Erik could do for him. It was unfortunate that he would have to chain the Grimm to the chair to begin with, but after Erik had won him over, he was sure that the Grimm would be staying of his own accord, his half-brother not being in any position to afford any of the luxuries that Erik could.

Winning the Grimm would be the seal on Erik’s victory over his half-brother.

And, it would win his father’s approval. The then fifteen-year-old Erik had never forgotten his father’s conversation with his chief hundjager about how it was a shame that thirteen-year-old Sean could never be Frederic’s heir, and how much of a disappointment Erik was to his father.

That had really set the seal on Erik’s hatred for Sean, up until then, mostly fuelled by his mother, the Queen’s, vitriolic dislike of the stunningly beautiful hexenbiest that had replaced her in Frederic’s bed and his affections. Of course, at that point, they hadn’t known absolutely that Elizabeth Lascelles was a hexenbiest, and it pleased Erik mightily when it had become known.

Hating Sean was natural, even though the zauberbiest was thousands of miles away, his continued survival was something Erik viewed as a personal affront.

 

The chair was opulent, and ridiculously heavy, had Nick not been chained to it he would have been up and out of there like a rocket. But he was shackled, heavy belt around his waist keeping him in the chair, wrists shackled so that he could feed himself, but not reach the belt around his waist which was fastened behind the chair, feet shackled, and fastened somewhere at the back of the chair where Nick couldn’t reach either.

If Erik imagined that he was going to be able to disconcert Nick in anyway, well he had met his match. Nick’s eyes gleamed. He could actually understand why Sean loathed his half-brother, the man was an idiot. Nick decided not to even acknowledge the chains. He was going to get under this idiot’s skin if it was the last thing he ever did.

He reached for his glass, noting with some amusement that it was a goblet, straight out of Harry Potter, and relaxed back in his seat again. Erik’s face was a study in flabbergasted, as though he expected Nick to protest, try to free himself, plead with Erik… well that was never going to happen.

Nick smirked (inwardly) and settled back to await results.

 

A loud bang from somewhere outside startled Erik. Really, this was too much. He shot out of his chair. “Maurizio,” he jabbed his finger on the bell and called for his hundjager.

The man appeared in the doorway, “what the hell is going on?” snapped Erik.

“I am not sure, sire.” The man’s obsequious tone irritated even Erik.

“Well, don’t just stand there gaping at me, find out and put a stop to it.”

Nick controlled his expression. “Trouble?” he enquired in a faux-innocent tone.

“Nothing that need to concern you,” Erik snapped, reverting to type. He was utterly thrown by the fact that Nick was not subservient, that he even seemed amused by Erik.

“I’m not concerned.” Nick answered, as the sound of running feet made Erik flinch and jump a little.

Really it was going to be extremely hard to be nice to the Grimm if he kept up this ridiculous hope. Erik could see that he hoped that Erik’s vastly inferior half-brother was going to rescue him. Well Erik was going to put a stop to that right now.

“Let me assure you…” he began, only to tail off when there were the sounds of more running feet, several very loud bangs that sounded as though they were inside the castle walls (impossible) and just as Erik was about to finish that statement a terrified shriek reverberated from the general direction of the kitchens.

“ENOUGH OF THIS NONSENSE” howled Erik, getting to his feet and striding in the general direction of the kitchens. “I WILL NOT HAVE THIS CHAOS.”

 

Sean reached the end of the tunnel, at the base of the chute and started to climb. Maintaining a grip was not the easiest, his own smell offended him, and he was splattered from head to foot in mud, slime, miscellaneous partially rotted vegetables and whatever he had dragged in from the moat that had refused to come off in the tunnel. Only the thoughts of his Nick sustained him.

Saving Nick. That was his goal.

So concentrated on climbing and not-falling he never even noticed the sounds of cooking from the kitchens above.

Reaching the top, he pulled out his sidearm from its waterproof pocket, lifted the lid over the garbage chute a little and peered around. A solitary cook, with her back to him. Sean moved quickly, popping up and letting the lid of the chute fall back with a crash behind him, the cook spun round, didn’t even seem to take note of the gun in his hand, but in his overall appearance, and shrieked at the top of her voice.

He swung a leg to the floor and climbed out of the chute as the woman fled, shrieking in the direction of what Sean knew was the hallway. Cursing under his breath a little, Sean chose to scram out of there.

 

Erik strode towards the kitchens in what he assumed was a commanding manner. In reality, command was not what one thought of considering his very skinny figure and slightly weaselly appearance. One of the many reasons why he slept with so many servant girls is that woman of his own class did not take him seriously. Even that Mia, who had dived into bed with his half-brother on many occasions, as Erik’s jealous brain seethed. Not that he liked Mia, he would have just liked to be able to turn her minxish person down as being beneath his dignity.

 

Since the running feet that he could hear in the corridor (and the loud bangs) all seemed to be nowhere near the doorway into the corridor, Sean bypassed the main hall, and opened the door to the corridor which lead to the main stairway.

He swung the door open, nearly hitting the man reaching for the door handle on the other side.

There was a startled intake of breath. “The Monster!!!!!” Erik’s high pitched tone would have set dogs barking, and he spun on his heels and fled in the opposite direction.

“Maurizio. MAURIZIO… WHERE ARE YOU???” Erik was shrieking as he ran, “PROTECT ME YOU IGNORANT ASS…”

Sean blinked. Then caught sight of his reflection in the ornate mirror over a corpulent looking wooden chest. Oh… Uh! Here and there the original colour of his wetsuit showed, but mostly he was a combination of brown, black and the vaguest hints of green slime. Several cabbage leaves adhered to his person, and he could in fact, along with all the black slime and leafmould from the moat, be considered somewhat monstrous.

Despite the hideous smell, Sean smiled.

He kept moving. Erik having fled in the general direction of the other wing of the castle.

The door to the more intimate of the two dining halls was half open, and instinct made Sean check it out.

 

Nick gaped as the man of his musings came through the door. Sean was filthy, covered in all sorts of random slime and muck that looked bad and smelled worse, but frankly after the last two days, as far as Nick was concerned he was the most beautiful thing that Nick had ever seen.

“Sean.”

Sean had never heard his name uttered in quite that tone of voice before, and he surged forward, bending down to embrace his Grimm, who returned that embrace, with as much fervour as he could manage considering his general state of being chained to a chair. What was a little slime and a serious stink between friends?

Sean freed the belt easily enough and managed to undo the manacles. Getting to his feet, Nick grabbed his (soon to be) lover’s hand. “Let’s get out of here,” he said.

Sean grinned. It was a filthy grin, but time was a-wasting, and the diversion would not be lasting forever. “Out of the servants’ entrance I think might be best.” He tugged on his Nicky’s hand.


	3. Escape!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The escape proves very easy...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was meant to be three chapters, but I started the fourth chapter yesterday, and I think it might be five...

Escaping from the castle proved very much easier, and less smelly and disgusting from Sean’s point of view, than entering it had been.

The hundjagers, all six of them, clearly Erik did not command much attention these days, had been thoroughly engaged by the Laufer sneak attack, and they had managed to inflict quite a bit of damage and a sizeable fire, mostly contained in the old stables (Sean was relieved to see there were no horses, there certainly had been during his childhood, but Erik had always been a rather weedy and ineffective horseman) and in the chaos of trying to put out the fire, the moat monster and his Grimm easily slipped past the hard-pressed group engaged in trying to concentrate on the fire and Erik who was shrieking at the top of his voice, babbling about moat monsters... 

Nick happened to catch sight of the lead hundjager’s face. The man looked both pissed and as though he wanted to strangle Erik. A sentiment that Nick fully appreciated as he wanted to strangle Erik too. Only more slowly.

Just because Nick was not a terrifying traditional Grimm, did not mean that he was not capable of it. But enough of that. Sean’s steely grip of his hand was actually just a little scary. The near-panicked state of the zauberbiest came as something of a surprise. Nick mulled it over as he ran. Not that Sean was going to let him walk at a sedate pace. Or let go of his hand.

They reached the trees, slightly out of breath, without any shouts of alarm or signs that they were being followed and Sean was still tugging Nick in his wake.

“Captain.” Nick tried, his stride was shorter than Renard’s and whilst he was fit, this being towed along was rather tiring. “Captain…” he said a little louder. “SEAN.” He raised his voice and the zauberbiest came to a stumbling halt. “Sean, it’s fine.” Nick looked around him, he could scarcely see past the trees, the flames to one side of Erik’s castle a distant illumination.

He squeezed the zauberbiest’s hand reassuringly. “We’re okay.”

“Not yet, we’re not.” Sean’s voice sounded a little shaky. “Not until we’re out of Austria.” He tugged on Nick’s hand again, this time continuing at a more sedate pace.

“You came for me.” Nick asked the question that had been burning at the back of his mind since the muck and filth encrusted biest had first appeared in the doorway.

“I’ll always come for you.” said Sean. Nick was surprised about the strength of the emotion in Sean’s voice. They had had their ups and downs over the years, and often they were more down than up, but Sean had saved Nick from Erik before, he had risked his life for Nick on a couple of occasions, and now that Nick had actually experienced Sean’s rescue he realised that there was more to their relationship than Captain and Detective.

He realised that Sean Renard, closed off and very private man, zauberbiest, part-Royal, intelligent, ruthless creature that he was had real feelings for Nick.

Now Nick had experienced those feelings, released in a pent up kiss, he understood that there was more to Sean’s actions than those that might meet the eye.

 

For a while they tramped through the trees, until they reached a dark single track road. Sean paused at the edge of the woods, pulling a small torch from his waterproof pocket he flashed a sign across the road. There was an answering flash from some headlights in the woods opposite and Sean reached back for Nick’s hand again, tugging him gently across the road.

 

In the back seat, Nick tried to listen in to Sean and Meisner’s conversation as Meisner drove, Sean sat next to him in the passenger seat, while Nick had Rosalee and Monroe fussing over him, and Hank and Wu occupied the jump seats behind.

Now they were back with Nick’s friends again, Sean had withdrawn. Withdrawn back to that Captain slash Royal aloofness. Nick studied the noble profile, head bent slightly as he listened to what Meisner was saying.

Listening in was mildly pointless as Nick’s German was of the school boy variety and Sean and Meisner, it was their native language. Knowing that Sean spoke German, and French, and Russian, all of them to mother-tongue standard, and some Greek together with Latin and some Ancient Greek, made Nick feel just a little like a hayseed compared to the accomplished intelligent man he now realised did mean something to him.

The touch of Sean’s lips on his, communicated the level of fear the man was feeling in that moment, the relief he felt at having found Nick. That was not the emotions of a superior for a subordinate. That was the touch of a man in love.

In love.

Nick examined his own feelings. Sometimes he had felt as though Sean was the enemy. The Captain played his cards very close to his chest, never really revealing what he felt about anything. He was ambitious.

But he had protected Nick on several occasions, often against his own best interests. He had risked his life for Nick. He had given Nick back the key when giving it to his father would have saved him a lot of trouble. He had put Nick first before his own safety.

Nick concentrated on the look in Sean’s eyes when the zauberbiest had found him. Joy, relief, and something else. His fear had driven him forward to clutch Nick in his arms, his relief had driven him to kiss Nick.

It was the kiss that made Nick look differently on all Renard’s…. Sean’s actions.

Nick shook himself, realising that Rosalee had asked him a question. “Hmmmmn!” He said.

Her eyes sparked with a little amusement. “I said, how do you feel? Groggy, light-headed.”

“No and No.” Nick pulled himself together. Rosalee’s smile grew, just a hint.

“I suspect that’s not entirely true.” She shot a quick glance at the Captain, who was not as deeply engrossed in his conversation with Meisner that he wasn’t paying close attention to every word she said.

“The verdict is that the Grimm is just fine.” Said Monroe cryptically.

Nick looked confused, then smiled at Sean’s clearly telegraphed relief. Suddenly, their unreadable, self-contained boss was not so unreadable.

Nick glanced at Hank and Wu to see if they’d noticed. From Hank’s ear to ear grin, and the sudden disappearance of the little notebook in Wu’s hand, he knew they had.

They drove for what seemed like hours. Apparently everyone except Meisner and Renard dozed off.

 

Sean held himself stiffly. Despite the last forty hours or so, with barely three hours sleep, he needed to stay awake, stay alert. They needed out of Austria, Switzerland might be nearest, but Italy would be best, they needed a border which would be very unlikely to report back to Frederic or Erik. The Italians didn’t care for Frederic, especially after the disputed palace situation.

Aware that everyone was asleep in the back, he kept his voice low as he conferred with Meisner as to the best route. They decided to head for Vipiteno, over the Brenner pass and take the back roads, unlikely to run into anyone they didn’t need to.

For a while all was silence as Meisner drove, and Sean forced himself wide awake in the passenger seat.

 

Meisner looked across, Renard was exhausted, that much was clear, but the man’s iron self-control and previous experiences of fleeing for his life across borders, was obviously driving him.

“You can sleep.” Meisner deliberately didn’t look at Sean’s face, maybe the man would take the suggestion. Sean shook his head, almost numb with exhaustion, but he could hold on until they were safe.

 

It was almost dawn as they rolled into the driveway of the abandoned house that belonged to an ally. There were beds inside, and providing they did not draw any attention to themselves, they would be safe there for a few hours.

Sean had reached a place of stumbling exhaustion which he was trying ridiculously hard to hide from the rest of them, without words they entered the house, and headed up the long staircase while Meisner hid the Land Rover from prying eyes.

Now was as good a time as any, so Nick followed his Sean into the bedroom at the end, ignoring Hank and Wu’s tired thumbs up and Rosalee’s secret smile as they disappeared into the bedroom next door.

 

Sean sat down on the edge of the bed, leaned over sideways, and stretched his legs out, falling asleep in an instant. Nick took the other side of the bed, and made himself comfortable, as Sean instinctively rolled towards him.

The Grimm smiled to himself as the zauberbiest snuggled closer, pulling the blankets up around them, he slid an arm around his zauberbiest. Time enough to talk about this in the morning.


	4. Gianina Mia!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sean takes Nick to a place that he can truly call his own...

Sean was warm and comfortable, and happy. So happy. He snuggled closer while his beloved Grimm wrapped his arms around Sean’s body.

Grimm.

Sean’s brain felt wrapped in cotton wool, but he tried to process. Apparently his Grimm really was his.

 

Sean’s hand hovered, as though to touch, and the fingers of another hand wrapped around his carefully.

Nick took hold of the hand that was hovering and laid it against his chest, clasping it to his heart. From the contented purr against his shoulder, his zauberbiest approved of that.

Nick rather approved of the contented purr himself. Not to mention the delightful warmth of the big body next to him. Though he was rather grateful that the last act before keeling over had been the zauberbiest shedding the rather revolting wetsuit. Even drying off had done little to lessen the stench.

However smelly his biest might have been, he had acquired the stink in the service of saving Nick from Erik.

Nick frowned, cuddling his biest even closer (despite said stench). They really needed to do something about that. In their ridiculously easy escape from Erik, Nick hadn’t even had the chance to decimate the ranks of the hundjagers. And there were entirely too many very stupid Reapers that needed sorting out.

Nick didn’t like killing things unnecessarily. But really hundjagers and reapers refused to learn, and since they were here, and…. Nick’s thought continued along that slightly unpleasant, but deeply satisfying path.

 

Meisner kept cautious watch. It was ingrained that he needed to do this. He had gotten lots of sleep before the escape, secure in the knowledge that he would be needed, they would need to leave after nightfall, so he worked on making the changes necessary to the vehicle. Washing it clean, and changing the number plates would suffice until they could change it for another vehicle a bit further down the road.

He would get Rosalee and Monroe to Milan airport, and then put Hank and Wu on the train to Rome. It was best they all went back different ways. He would return to Austria leaving Sean and Nick to make their own way home.

Meisner snorted a little to himself. Home? Who actually knew where that was any more.

 

Sean lay curled up against his Grimm, eyes closed, just dozing. He was still tired, the stress and the relief had taken a lot out of him, but they were in Italy, and Sean’s thoughts turned to Venice. As they always did whenever he was nearby.

He wondered if he dared.

It had been so many years. It was his, and it was probably long past time that he really did claim it as his own. Deep down inside a tiny part of his soul longed to not only claim the place, but lay his stamp upon it, recover it from the state of decay that it had fallen into and fill its rooms and corridors with furnishings, sound… laughter.

His right hand strayed down beneath the sheet that covered their bodies, and caressed his hip, the ink there. Something truly ancient stirred within him, a muscle memory, he pushed it down, as he had been doing more and more over the last few years.

The thing that his mother had warned him to keep hidden from all eyes.

 

Nick could feel his biest was awake, or rather somewhere between sleep and waking. Sean was exhausted still, he could feel that in the very bonelessness of the tired creature lying so close, head still resting on Nick’s shoulder.

Until Sean came for him, Nick had been confused by Renard’s motives and actions, some of them so contradictory it was as though they cancelled themselves out.

Then saving Nick from Erik, and suddenly everything that had gone before paled into insignificance next to Sean’s kiss. A kiss that told Nick an awful lot about the man behind the stern facade.

He gently rubbed a hand over Sean’s bare shoulder, appreciating the beauty of the strong body curled into him. There was a deep, pleased sound, something like a purr, and Sean rolled, curling even closer. Nick smiled as his biest cuddled up.

Then his smile turned to puzzlement. When the biest rolled, the sheet that had been covering them was pulled down a little, and Nick saw it. The tattoo, right hip, quite sizeable, normally concealed beneath Sean’s clothes, a tattoo which Nick had not known his stern, aloof Captain even possessed.

A winged lion.

Sean’s nose nudged Nick’s shoulder, and Nick started to stroke again, smile more amused as the big biest purred beneath his hands. Clearly still tired enough that all his normal shields were still down.

 

Sean took the decision as they waved Monroe and Rosalee off, while they said goodbye to Wu and Hank, and Meisner, who would be returning via yet another direction.

They had almost no baggage, and only the clothes they stood up in. But as far as Sean was concerned that didn’t matter. What mattered was that they were free, together and Sean was about to show Nick the thing that he had never told anyone about.

They headed to the station then, and Sean buys two tickets, in rapid Italian with a lilting accent that Nick finds deeply arousing, as well as minor surprise that Sean speaks Italian. As far as Nick can tell, as though as it is his mother tongue.

It’s a local train, with an upstairs and a downstairs, while the majority crowd upstairs, Sean chooses a compartment on the lower deck, and Nick takes a moment to appreciate the big picture window, and the comfort of the seats. No one disturbs them in their little space, and Nick curls up against Sean, allowing the still tired biest the comfort and warmth of Nick’s body, gradually Sean relaxes, secure in the knowledge that his Nicky, his Grimm, has got him.

By the time they reach Mestre, Sean has slept for at least an hour, as Nick holds him in his arms and appreciates the countryside rolling past. Sean wakes at the announcement they are pulling into Venezia Mestre. Grasping Nick’s hand, Sean leads the way.

 

Nick is almost beyond excited. Sean has brought them to Venice, he has what he stands up in, not even a wash kit, but this is a place he has dreamed of seeing.

They get a water taxi to St Mark’s Square, and then Sean hires a gondola.

The afternoon passes in a whirl, as Sean guides Nick through a few shops, and in between walking the streets with shopping bags and returning to the gondola to drop off their purchases Nick wanders with the little camera that Sean has bought him, snapping picture after picture and soaking up the atmosphere, while Sean smiles indulgently and watches his beloved Grimm with a fondness in his eyes that Nick has never seen before.

It’s afternoon, and the sun is setting, when they return to the gondola, and Sean gives him an address. They row silently through the narrower canals until they arrive at an imposing building, down a very narrow side canal.

They transfer all their accumulated bags to the front steps, and Sean steps up to the old intercom, pressing the button, he shouts at it. “Patrizio, dove sei?”

For several long moments there is nothing, and Nick is beginning to wonder if they are somehow in the wrong place, but then there is the sound of running feet, followed by a thumping noise and the rattle of a key in the lock, then the door creaks open, and a funny, spry, wizened little old man stands there.

“Maestro Sean, è bello vederti.” He flings the door wide as Sean steps up and hugs the old man, Nick picks up their bags, and steps through the doorway at the old man’s come in gestures.

He stops dead and stares, because he has never seen anything like this in his life before. Sean stands before him, his green eyes glittering with excitement and apprehension, and all Nick’s brain can formulate is that Sean Renard really is a Prince.

The hallway is old, with an elegant tiled floor, but it is the highly decorated ceiling that takes Nick’s breath away, and the wall hangings, and for the first time, Nick sees Sean in a place that is not of the modern world, and he comprehends the Prince within.


	5. Palazzo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick enjoys Sean's palace. Sean enjoys Nick... basically, there's a lot of enjoyment going on...

The bed was huge, and very old, there was a warmth to the wood, which made Nick run his hands over the beautiful carvings.

When he wasn't running them over the beautiful Prince.

Nick was warm and comfortable and very happy. Here in Venice, it was as though their world had stopped for a little while, so that they could finally enjoy it.

The palace was safe, it was something that Sean had inherited through a member of his mother's family and had nothing to do with the Seven Houses, and their greedy, ambitious and cruel families, but was something much, much older. Perhaps from the birth of Venice itself.

Nick lay back and stared at the ceiling, and the reflection of the water outside, secure in the warmth of his lover sleeping beside him. He smiled and turned his head a little. Sean sprawled right next to him, but still snuggled up. The look of peace and contentment on his Prince's face, younger somehow, happier, more carefree than Nick had ever seen him.

Mysteriously the covers had slipped down just enough for Nick to study that tattoo on Sean's hip. The protector of Venice, the winged lion, something that Nick had barely been aware of until now. Somehow Nick knew that this held greater significance than a design simply acquired, it meant more and went deeper than that. Very delicately he traced the outline with his finger. The tattoo was detailed, but slightly faded as though it had been there some time. Nick spread his fingers and put the palm of his hand over the place, the warmth of Sean's skin reassuring after the gloomy castle, and their flight into Italy.

Nick found that he did need reassurance. For all that Erik did not really scare him, and Nick was unharmed, Sean's rather shaky reassurance that he would always come for Nick, would always love him, well that was what Nick needed.

Now he was curious. He had never suspected even after seven years as a Grimm that there was more to Sean than the Seven Houses, now he knew differently, but still did not know the story of the palace, or why it was Sean's through his mother, but that hardly mattered right now. He had never seen Sean this relaxed or this happy, and Nick would do a lot to keep that smile on his Prince’s face.

 

It was a funny old house, Patrizio apparently the only servant cum guardian of Sean’s palace. At some point most of the basement had flooded, which was quite normal for Venice. It was small and rather modest by the standards of Venetian palaces, but very, very old.

Like the bed. Nick wriggled a little, appreciating Sean’s high thread count sheets, and the gloriously soft pillows he snuggled into. That Sean was still fast asleep next to him something else the Grimm appreciated. At some point they would have to go back to reality and the joys of Portland. They loved their home, but this was special.

 

Thoughts of home turned Nick’s mind to the other little side project he was hoping he would be able to persuade Sean into. The Verrat were a nuisance, and then there were the Reapers. Alexander had broadly agreed with Nick that if he ran into Reapers he could do whatever he liked and the Wesen Council would not officially make a fuss. They were here in Europe, and while Nick did not like to kill things for no reason, Verrat and Reapers had both given Nick several excellent reasons.

Sean was not as asleep as Nick imagined he was, but the chance to lie next to his Grimm in complete safety, while studying that beautiful face, and those incredibly expressive eyes. Well, if Sean was going to lie dogo and appreciate the very fine view, that was his business.

And it was a very, very fine view. And all his. Well aware of his beautiful Grimm’s desire to lay just a little waste to the ranks of the Verrat and the Reapers, while they were so close by, it seemed a shame not to indulge.

Right now, there was a gloriously comfortable bed, and nowhere for them to be, and a delicious breakfast spread that would be served to them on the terrace, and after that who knew.

An arm slid around his waist, Sean played dead for a moment waiting until his Grimm drew a shade closer. The feeling of warmth eased closer, and Sean pounced. Whisking his Grimm into his arms and rolling until Nick was beneath him. Catching his weight on his elbows he stared down into Nick’s eyes.

There was something in the green gaze that held his, in Nick’s mind an impression of great, strong golden wings, and hint of something old and magical. Winding his arms around Sean’s neck, Nick pulled him down, taking his entire weight onto Nick’s body. He might be smaller than Sean, physically, but he was strong in his own right, and this was really primal. He might belong to Sean, but Sean belonged to him and Nick wasn’t above making that point.

Sean pressed his lips to Nick’s conceding the point, Nick’s lips parted, and for a while, breakfast was forgotten.


	6. Besotted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick and Sean are in love. Monroe is feeling just a little nauseated.

Erik shrieked like a little girl and tried to run faster. His arms pumped, his legs pounded, and fear lent him wings… the pounding in his ears was less the pounding of his heart than the sound of the thing hunting him.

Erik wished he had left Sean’s Grimm severely alone.

 

Monroe stared at the phone’s screen. The slightly tinny sounding shriek as Sean’s half-brother crossed from left to right and disappeared out of shot. Followed closely by Nick.

Monroe suppressed a shudder, it was at times like these that he could easily see that Nick was Kelly Burkhardt’s son, and Marie Kessler’s nephew. Not that he minded seeing Erik Renard being chased, it was pretty entertaining, and the Captain certainly seemed to find it so.

Then there were the six reapers that tried to take on Nick and his Prince. Not that Nick and his Prince had done anything to provoke such an attack. Oh no. Monroe glanced at the Captain’s face, the gleam in those green eyes at once fanatical, and indulgent. One might even say, besotted.

Besotted definitely seemed to be the order of the day.

“I don’t think he stopped running even after he crossed the border.” Nick’s tone was perhaps entirely too satisfied, and Sean’s smile was fond, indulgent and totally besotted.

Monroe doubted there was sufficient bleach in the universe to purify where his brain had been.

The way they looked at each other was close to nauseating.

“So.” he said. “What now for you two?” Nick blushed which was interesting. But then Sean Renard did too, which was almost unheard of. They were going for a lot of firsts this day, and Monroe had no doubt where it was all leading. Adalind loved Nick, but she loved Meisner more, and since they had found he was still alive, although quite badly injured, Adalind had put a lot into caring for him and healing him. Nick loved Adalind and his son, but he was in love with Sean. (And now Monroe was going to have to get used to calling the zauberbiest Sean, because calling him Captain or Renard was just going to be too weird.)

“We’re going to get married.” Sean’s voice cracked a little, hope bleeding through the nervousness. Nick smiled, and squeezed his besotted beloved’s hand. The Captain turned an intriguing shade of pink, but Monroe could see the love, it was written on his face in large letters.

 

Sean stood by the altar, and waited, not nervously because the feeling of rightness felt so good. In many years, in many missteps, he had the one thing that made him complete. Nick’s love. The music changed, not the wedding march but something which fit them. To the strains of “all you need is love”, he turned to watch his beloved walk towards him. When their eyes met, if Nick’s pace picked up a little, no one noticed.

Then they were holding hands and repeating vows, and there was no one in the universe except for the two of them.

If Nick looked up then, to meet Sean’s smiling eyes, and the impression of tawny gold wings and a presence made a fleeting appearance, that was for him to know.


End file.
